During beat battles, the mysterious man in the Guy Fawkes mask sometimes brazenly introduces himself by announcing, "My name is Jomeezius the Genius...and I'm not like these motherfuckers," just before winning over the complete adoration of the crowd by blending Nicki Minaj with the "Imperial March" or a sped up Top 40 hit of the moment, submerged in bass. That usually does the trick, proving to the crowd that's he is indeed not like the other producers.
Jomeezis is easily one of the most enigmatic and definitely one of the more intriguing figures in the scene, yes, partially because of the crazy get ups to beat battles and the way he plays a computer keyboard during those battles, but also because he yearns for originality in a time when recycling is more the norm.
"Coming up I listened to all the rappers here try to be Westcoast," he says. "Now everyone is trying to do the trap sound, but Denver needs a Denver sound. I just try to be myself and use the sounds I came up listening to."
The Aurora-based hip-hop producer has made some impressive moves, including working with Tech N9ne and Strange Music over the past few years; Jomeezius produced four songs on Tech's collaboration album, Welcome to Strangeland. Before that, however, it was the beat that he initially didn't get credited for that provided him with bigger opportunities and the chance to grow.
One of Jomeezius's beats was allegedly sold by someone claiming to have produced the beat for the song, "You Must Be Crazy," from Chamillionare's album Ultimate Victory. "I heard the song and was like, 'That's my beat,'" Jomeezius recalls, surprisingly cheerfully. "It was a mess with the Lawyers and all that, but I got name changed on the album. It was not Chamillionaire's fault, and I got the credit for the song."
The song gave him a boost, and soon people started to call him to do work. During that time, he was working with Nominee, a local rapper who hooked him up with the number of Travis O'Guin, Strange Music CEO., and Jomeezius established a relationship. "I actually did fifty beats for them," he notes, "and selected fourteen to give them... I actually knew Tech's style very well and made beats I thought he would like." The focused effort paid off in the form of three songs on Strangeland.
Speaking of strange, what's up with the mask? "I am really just publicity shy," Jomeezius declares, and then adds, "but I also like the symbol it represents: revolution."
And the revolution continues. As Jomeezius's star continues to rise, he's continuing to work with Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko, Brotha Lynch, Twisted Insane and the whole Strange Music camp, in addition to working with local acts such as Albeez 4 Sheez and Myke Charles. "We just did Myke's new single," he says. "It's called 'Clap.' Myke is a real talented artist." As for his own music, Jomeezius is in the midst of working on an instrumental album called Aurora Borealis. "We are going to do a cinematic theme that tells a story of the journey of an artist," he explains. "Every song will have a video that goes with it."
Whatever it ends up sounding like, the goal is to be original. "No more carbon copy stuff," he concludes. "Show the people something different. You gotta be yourself and be original. That is what people want."
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